Mommy's Day 2012

This Mother's Day was another special one although it was a bit different.  We (the Valentine Nest) have been overtaken by cold/cough/ear infection/allergy attack in the past two weeks so Sunday morning started off with a LOT of coughing.  It was enough coughing for Rob & me to call in sick for teaching the 4 & 5 year old class at CCC.  That was a bummer to miss but the extra rest & relaxation was needed. We laid in bed for as long as our rambunctious 2 year old would let us then she & Rob headed to the kitchen to whip up a batch of buttermilk pancakes for me. During breakfast, Robby said to Charlotte "Do you know that you made Mommy a Mommy?" She smiled like "what are you guys talking about & why are you crying again mommy?" I told her the story once again about how I asked God to bless me with a baby & how I had to be patient and wait. I told her about how hard it was but then when she came out of my belly & was given to me, I was so thankful. We looked at some pictures of the previous Mother's Day's going back to 2009 when I was about 30 weeks pregnant with Charlotte. Ah, what a sweet time that was. So, as I said in the "May Flowers" post, it has been and apparently will continue to be an emotional month, for all the right reasons. 

We enjoyed a long leisurely tea & coffee date on the back porch watching the cardinals eat their breakfast from our bird feeder. We called our Mommy's and thanked them for the way they love us. As each year passes (and we are deeper into this parenting journey) we experience more gratitude for the way our parents loved & cared for us as children & for the relationships we have with them now. As we sat, Eloise took her morning nap & Charlotte worked on gluing some shapes onto a piece of paper. I was feeling better by the minute ; ) 

Our original plan included worship at CCC before heading to Tampa with Hugo, Juanita & Matilda.  Due to our infectious state, we nixed the first part & picked up our friends around 11. We shared with them about how sick we had been & they made the decision to expose themselves by riding in the car with us. What great friends they are ; ) It was SO fun to make use of the Expedition & all its seats.  Char & Mati were in the back row, Elo rode between Juanita & me then the guys took the driver & shotgun spots.

We arrived at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park which is next to the Children's Museum. We ate our lunch and enjoyed a little breeze before heading over to the water fountains. 

Elo was thinking, "how can I get up there like the big girls?!"

Hugo was Eloise's second father on Mother's Day. He just can't get enough snuggles & grins out of her! He let her wear his Iron Man hat. Robby joked saying "she crawled, rode her tricycle" to complete the race. Funny thought.

Juanita & I attempted to get a picture that included all three kids but it didn't work out as planned. So here we are with our big girls : ) When I look at this picture, all I can see is the picture of us at Matilda's first birthday party....my how they have changed! At that point, we were wondering if Char would ever have hair or not to mention....teeth!

After lunch, the girls got into their swimmers & made a bee line for the fountains or as Char called "mountains" for some reason. 

Char and Mati know just what to do & were happy to run all over, through & around the "mountains." Elo was a little unsure of the spraying water. She figured it couldn't be too bad considering bath time is kind of similar when your bath buddy is a two year old that likes to turn the water on & cup her hand under the spout so it sprays you in the face OR do Shamu-like jumps into the tub causing large splashes. It took Eloise about 10 minutes before she decided it was safe to approach. She was SO cute when she would crawl a bit then turn around & look at me to smile as if to make sure it was okay. I kept cheering her on & she kept crawling until she made it! She really did have a good time & I am guessing the fun will only increase when she is on two feet : )

Mati & her umbrella.  We did drive through some drizzling rain but she mainly used it to shield her from the spraying fountain.....and to pose for an adorable picture : ) 

After we wore everyone out, we dried off & got the girls dressed.  We drove a couple miles over to Ybor City where we strolled around a bit. Char and Mati were in great moods despite missing a nap.  I love how much these two enjoy each other! Charlotte has called her "Mati" for a long time now but in the recent weeks she has been correcting us & saying "Her name is not Mati! It's Ma-ti-da!"

We ate an early dinner at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company before making the trek back to Orlando.  We did this same trip for Mother's Day last year and were really excited to include friends this time around.  I guess it's a tradition now : )

So, here is a picture of the two that made me a Mommy, my most challenging & most rewarding occupation yet! I love you Charlee & Elo, being your Mommy is the best!

Char & Elo, dare to compare

I thought it would be fun to post a picture of the girls at nearly the same age, on the same day (Mother's Day), in the same dress, with the same mommy.  The first is Char & second is Elo if you couldn't tell ; ) I feel like the only similarity are their chubby arms & legs....what do you think?

May flowers

This year for my Mother's Day gift, Robby took the girls out for the afternoon on Saturday. They headed to Lowes to purchase some flowers and plants to fill our pots that have been begging for something beautiful to grow inside them.  Jenny was out of town over the weekend for a wedding in Texas so Steve joined the fun and helped Karis plant something for her mommy too. While they were gone, I got to spend some much needed quality time with my sewing machine to finish some pillows for the back porch and a birthday banner for Eloise. I LOVE sewing in a quiet house : ) That was a present in and of itself!

We potted flowers as a family last year (See the post: Planting Flowers) and we had such a wonderful time. It was the weekend before Eloise was born so I had quite the big belly! It was fun this year to watch her crawling around in the grass & think about how this time last year, we hadn't even met her yet. Oh my, this month is proving to be an emotional one. There have already been more than a few tears shed on my part as I think about fast approaching birthdays of two little ones, the incredible joy of motherhood & am overcome with thankfulness. There have also been tears shed because I have not had much sleep in a week & have a house full of sickness. Motherhood is incredibly joy-filled and exhausting at the same time quite regularly actually now that I think about it : ) 

So as our little Charlotte & Eloise blossom into beautiful little girls right before our eyes, we look forward to watching our new flowers do the same.  

Onto the great planting adventure with 3 two & under helpers....

Karis had no reservations when it came to scooping up dirt in her hands.  She actually got to come spend some time next too me because she couldn't stay out of the potting soil bag ; ) Steve said it wasn't his brightest idea to dress her in white capri pants but kudos to him for being an AWESOME stay at home Dad for 5 days while Jenny was gone! 

The more the merrier when it comes to hands in a pot!

Eloise crawling over to check out the new flowers. She thought they looked pretty tasty. 

We bought a bird feeder a couple weeks ago and have SO enjoyed watching the cardinals that come to eat frequently throughout the day.  The night that Robby & Charlotte were filling it with seed & hanging the feeder, I was in tears on the back porch as I held Eloise. Charlotte was so excited to be participating & was trying to carry the big bag of birdseed herself. She kept dropping it so Rob scooped her and the bag up and carried them over to where they would hang it. Char was giggly & Rob was grinning ear to ear. As I snuggled Eloise close, I was thinking about how quickly the time has gone & how deep my love has grown for these precious girls.  The thought crossed my mind that I wanted to have at least 10 more kids so I can keep experiencing sweet moments like these for a long time ; ) Haha, I don't think I would survive bearing & raising that many! Although, whatever the amount we end up with, I pray the Lord gives me countless moments of seeing God's goodness to me through tear filled eyes.  So, back to the new bird feeder...every morning the feeder is missing at least half the seed that was there when we went to bed.  We keep joking that we are going to stay up all night and watch to see what is SO hungry.  If I didn't know these two were inside all night, confined by locked doors & alarm systems, I'd say they were the culprits!

Robby decided to pick up a couple jalapeno plants and we decided that no place other than the Texas pot should be their new home. Hot salsa here we come!

Charlotte liked the potting part but LOVED the watering part even more.  There is a picture on the post from last year where she was trying to carry a little blue watering can. She was spilling water all over and was as uncoordinated as could be compared to the coordinated & confident almost three year old she is this year. She was swinging that thing all over the place : ) 

Elo's hair is long enough to blow in the breeze?!

Big hands. little hands

I love seeing this Daddy with his girls.....he is one happy man!

Dirty feet kept this girl from smiling for a picture with her sister.  Who would have thought?

The best we got for a picture of me, my little ladies and my mother's day gift : ) 

I think another part of my gift was that Rob let me take pictures without uttering one complaint when I asked him to smile ; ) Thanks honey, Mother's Day was kicked off with a bang due to your thoughtfulness!

project 365: [days 126-132]

*May 6th- Mint Juleps for the mommy & daddy in this house. I missed out on the Kentucky Derby Party  while I was at so Rob hooked me up with our own little party....minus the horses...a day later : ) 

May 7th- Charlotte taking care of Libby while she spent the day on the couch with a bad cough & sore throat.

*May 8th- Eloise started getting sick & was only content in the Ergo WITH her new baby she has been carrying around.  This picture makes me laugh...hard. 

*May 9th- We are enjoying the newest addition to the backyard or should I say                                                                   we are enjoying what the newest addition brings to our backyard : ) 

May 10th- Remnants of the two naps I took...the sickness has over taken the Valentine Nest!

May 11th- Charlotte is feeling better and insisted on wearing her new "beutes" (as she says)  to take the dogs out. 

May 12th- My Mother's Day gift, watching beautiful plants & flowers be planted for me : ) 

Oldies but goodies

While we were in Kingwood visiting my family in April we spent lots of time just playing.  My mom saved many of our toys & has them all organized in her attic so she can easily pull out just the right toys for their ages when we come to see her. 

She has added some new toys to the mix with each visit whether she has done a little shopping or borrowed from one of her friends but I think it is safe to say that the "oldies" get the most attention. The favorite by far are the Little People- 80's edition which apparently is considered "vintage" on eBay. I didn't think I was old enough yet to have toys that I played with be considered "vintage" haha! Vintage or not, they were my favorite thing to play with while I was there too & I am on a hunt for a good deal on a set for our house.

The first morning we were there, Charlotte made a bee-line to the container that had these in them, dumped them out & began to arrange to her liking. She is quite particular & lined them up in a straight line. She had no interest in my assistance so I just enjoyed watching her little hands touch each piece. I couldn't help but think about how my little hands did the same thing 25 + years ago. Char wasn't the only one who played with these.  Eloise got ahold of the little buggy & car and began making "vrooom" sounds all on her own. Where do kids learn to do that? It kept her entertained at Carraba's while we waited for our dinner one evening. Aren't they cute? 

Ol Grandma in the high chair ; )

The doggie is snoozing with the little girl : ) I know a doggie or two that would like that!

Another blast from the past that got quite a bit of attention from Eloise was "Baby" who was my very first baby doll. It was pretty sweet to see Elo be motherly for the first time. Charlotte has a few baby dolls but Eloise has never paid them much attention so I was surprised when we really took a liking to Baby. She would pass her back and forth with my mom and they would take turns patting & kissing her. Eloise would most always attempt to mimic whatever her Grandma did....so precious. One afternoon when we were sewing, we sat Elo in her high chair with some O's. She wanted to keep Baby by her side.

Someone's silly bone seems to be growing well ; ) 

I have about 10 books from my childhood that I picked out of a box at my parents before Char was even born.  These are 4 of my favorites that were well read by the Ellis children & now the Valentine's as well.

Just to prove that they belonged to me, I included this photo ; ) 

It is funny to look at the toys the girls have now & think about them being labeled "vintage" in 30 years on eBay (if it's even around anymore).  What will go for top dollar? the Pottery Barn owls that sit on Charlotte's bed? the wooden fruit in their play kitchen? Scout the dog? I mean he is kind of like Teddy Ruxpin but a LOT less scary!

I do love those toys/books & LOVE seeing my girls enjoying them just as we did as young children. I will definitely be collecting a few of our favorites & placing them in a storage bin for grandchildren to use someday. Wow, okay, that statement alone makes me feel a little old ; )

project 365: [days 119-125]

April 29th- My heart was happy watching these two snuggling on the back porch.

April 30th-  Enjoyed a favorite book with the girls from my childhood: "Baby Dear"

May 1st- Life Group dinner on the patio...humoring me with their fake laughter ; ) 

May 2nd- Char practicing her jumps off the bus.

May 3rd- Eloise checking out the completed invites for the 1st birthday bash. 

May 4th- Put my new purchase to the test. 

May 5th- Putting my other new purchase to the test: Ben Ben working on getting the bone out of his new toy.

The people on the bus go UP & down!

It was a relaxing Wednesday morning at the Valentine Nest. Eloise & Charlotte were cooking in their kitchen and I was sitting on the floor waiting to be served something yummy.  I guess it was a little too boring calm for a rambunctious two year old who quickly decided it might be fun to jump off the school bus repeatedly for 30 minutes straight.  I was laughing SO hard! She would jump, I would snap away then we would look together & laugh about the photo then do it all over again. 

It was all good fun until a baby & a pit bull got in her way.  You can see in the photo below that Bennett decided to do some stretching right in the flight path while Elo was about to attempt a steep climb. Charlotte looks either a little concerned or is contemplating how to jump over those two "road blocks."

Then Benny Boy did a great big yawn as if to say, I think I may rest here for a moment. Charlotte was seriously annoyed by his behavior. Haha! I can hear her teenage voice saying "Mom, are you seriously going to let him act like that?"

He eventually moved and the fun continued.  Char decided rather than complain about her sissy, involve her in the excitement. She tries to lift her all the time and while carrying her across the floor she says "Mommy, she so heavy!" It's true Charlotte!

And one last look at some awesome hair during a jump...

While she was jumping and crashing to the ground I was wondering where we went from walking behind her making sure she didn't fall to seeing her scale anything in the house or at the park without a flinch. Not sure but she is quite a little monkey now!